Fluoride for All

It’s important to help patients understand that getting caries isn’t just about eating candy and not brushing your teeth. We need to change the things we can, such as consuming fewer sugary drinks and committing to better home care, but we can also tip the scale by strengthening the enamel, buffering the saliva, and activating the biofilm. In our office, we share with patients every day that fluoride isn’t just for kids. In truth, I worry just as much about the adult patients in my practice getting caries as I do the kids.

Lee Ann Brady, DMD
Glendale, Arizona

A Better Bite

When cementing restorations with the latest contemporary cements—both resin-modified glass ionomer and composite resin—completing seating of the crown or bridge requires some constant force on the crown to get the cement to flow. In the past, wooden bite sticks were all the rage. I find that I can have the patient bite down on a saliva ejector, which is not rigid, molds to the occlusal surface, and provides the patient with positive feedback. For bridges, I bend the saliva ejector into a “U” shape so the patient is biting on both medial and distal aspects of the bridge at the same time.

Howard E. Strassler, DMD
Baltimore, Maryland

Boosting Case Acceptance

We maintain an affordable situation so patients can benefit from advanced care without shelling out a mortgage for dentistry. I try to break down my practice to a few different tiers of care for each patient’s ultimate clinical goals so it will fit their budget. Sometimes patients are told they must spend $60,000 for all uppers and lowers—the implication being that if they’re not doing Ferrari-like dentistry, it isn’t good dentistry. With a moderate investment by the patient—$5000 is usually a ‘magical figure’—you can have patients agree to a treatment plan.

Michael Scherer, DMD, MS, FACP
Sonora, California

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